"I am very proud of the work that the NDF is doing. Natalia and Alex have done something few people accomplish. They have taken an almost unspeakable tragedy in their lives and turned their unbearable sadness into a mission to education people – and especially youth – about avalanche safety. Though it hasn’t always been easy, they have been extremely successful, educating thousands of kids about avalanches and creating a community of avalanche aware youth in the Sierra Mountains and beyond. I cannot adequately express my appreciation for the phenomenal work they are doing. Hooray for Natalia and Alex and hooray for the NDF!"
Karl Birkeland, Director
Forest Service National Avalanche Center
NDF Special Adviser
"Founded by Natalia and Alex Dodov, and named after their son who died in an avalanche in Alaska, the Nickolay Dodov Foundation is a leading provider of avalanche awareness training to youth in the Sierra. They are the leader in the growing effort to provide this critical information to youth. They do a great job reaching school groups and ski teams and providing important avalanche information to help keep kids safe in the winter mountain environment. Their presentations are well designed and delivered by experienced snow and avalanche professionals."
David Reichel
Executive Director Sierra Avalanche Center
THANK YOU NOTES FROM COACHES AND TEACHERS TO NDF
Natalia, I just wanted to reach out and tell you how grateful I am for people like you and Alex! Your enthusiasm and dedication to the education of our youngsters is unparalleled! You're literally the nicest people ever. I thought Michael ran an excellent workshop that really kept kids engaged and willing to learn. I've been a part of many clinics and this was by far the best interaction within the class I've seen. I really look forward to working with your foundation in the future and you can count on returning to Sugar Bowl Academy in the Fall/Winter to further our relationship and the kids educational opportunities with avalanche education! I can't thank you enough Natalia and Alex !
Sean Carey, Director of Freeride Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy ------------------------------
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You are making an incredible impact for our Snow sports world! Thank you so much! Nick is there with you every step of the way!
Daron Rahlves Sugar Bowl Ski Team &Academy Board of Trustee---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We would like to project a big gigantic thank you to the Nickolay Dodov Foundation. I couldn’t believe it when Natalia reached out to me with her idea of coming to Mammoth to present their program to our student athletes. From the very beginning their foundation made it so easy to organize the presentation by communicating with our school and providing posters for the event. There is very little money in the California public school systems to pay for any “extra” programs especially in athletics. Without the foundation, there would not had been this opportunity for the foundations's all-important life education. Our students live at 8,000 feet surrounded by mountains up to 14,000 feet. The natural environment around us, pose a realistic threat to all of us. The Nickolay Dodov Foundation presented the realistic hazards of our environment. The kids were completely engaged, intrigued and moved by the presentation and it made a long lasting impact on their actions where the typical teenage behavior is not to think about consequences of their actions. At this age, they think they are invisible. With the huge records amounts of snow we received this winter at Mammoth (we’ll be skiing on it until August and we are still susceptible to avalanches), our community was constantly presented with the fatal possibilities of avalanches. It is impossible to measure how many lives the Nickolay Dodov Foundation has saved (probably many), but if it made just one person think before exposing themselves to a fatal circumstance, it was so so worth it. From the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU Nickolay Dodov Foundation! We hope they can return every year.
Connie Moyer Mammoth High School Ski and Snowboard Team Director CNISSF State Champions 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nickolay Dodov Foundation has brought hours of avalanche education and mountain inspiration to the students at South Tahoe High School in the last four years. Each year their program touches lives, motivates athletes, and increases awareness in our growing mountain tribe. Their educators are among the best and cater their lessons and presentations to fit the audience. It is an honor to work with them in this necessary effort to educate our youth about safe backcountry travel.
Jillian Raymond History department South Tahoe High School ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDF is doing amazing things for our young snow sport athletes today. When I was younger, I never even considered how many variables there can be in backcountry riding. I knew about avalanches, but had very little knowledge about how to approach any backcountry work, and so I avoided it. I’m grateful to have been able to see the amazing NDF presentation with our ski and snowboard team. It inspired me to buy beacons for myself and my husband. We plan to take an Aiarie 1 course next fall so we can get even more educated on backcountry safety & reading/understanding snow conditions for those fun adventures! Thanks NDF!!!
Emma Rommo Snowboard coach Mammoth High School ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Good Morning Natalia and Alex, On behalf of everyone here, I thank you for making the journey to Yosemite to educate our ski team. As you guys know, it's critical that we build our knowledge of snow science and potential hazards at the same time we are building our skiing/riding skills. Your avalanche presentation gave this team a lot to think about in regards to training, snow safety, and decision-making. It was well-presented, engaging, and perfectly customized for our youngest skiers. Definitely a winter highlight for this group and we look forward to working with you next year! Again, thank you for your dedication and energy and please give our best to Paul. Happy skiing!
Kelsey and the Yosemite Ski Team -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forest Charter School greatly appreciates the program offered to our school from Nickolay Dodov Foundation in January of 2019. Richard Bothwell, Natalia and Alex created a dynamic presentation which captivated our K-12 students. Through two educational and informative presentations, the students learned about snow safety, decision making, safety gear, slope management and backcountry travel. The students were enthusiastic and supported in asking questions, sharing experiences and learning throughout the day. We will continue to utilize the education provided in our snow safety awareness and student support. We greatly appreciate the opportunity and will continue to seek further collaboration with Nickolay Dodov Foundation in the future.
Mark Keim 5/6 Grade Teacher Forest Charter School --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nickolay Dodov Foundation presented to our South Tahoe Middle school ski team in the fall and our students loved it. The foundations avalanche educator Richard broke down the avalanche science extremely well for our students and kept them engaged the entire presentation. the ski team walked away with some practical knowledge of avalanche safety and some cool bonus gear too. We can't wait to have the Nickolay Dodov Foundation back next year to spread the word about backcountry safety to even more students.
James Seider (Educator at South Tahoe Middle School in South Lake Tahoe) ------------------------------
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The Nikolay Dodov Foundation visited Whittell High School this winter to present their Know Before You Go Workshop to my 8th grade science classes and our Alpine Ski Team athletes. The workshop was incredibly engaging for my students, and they really saw the importance of education and proper skills when travelling in the back country. They loved the video, they loved learning about the snow science of avalanches, and they were very excited about receiving headphones as prizes. Our ski team athletes left the workshop with more awareness about the risks when skiing outside of the resort, and they can't wait for the foundation to return next year and do an on-snow workshop. I highly recommend the workshop for any ski team or classroom. They do a great job of adapting the workshop for the ages and interests of the students, so all students walk away with more awareness and the desire to keep learning.
Madeline Cronk Science Teacher and Alpine Ski Team Coach at George Whittell High School ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Foundation was able to come to Sonora Elementary School this past winter and share a hands on dynamic presentation. The student athletes were able to participate in critical discussions, see new material and equipment that was demonstrated by highly skilled and qualified individuals. The presentation is engaging and beautifully designed. The kids are now able to carry the lessons onto the slopes.
Josette Alomia-Brown Physical Education 4-8th grade Sonora Elementary School
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Nickolay Dodov Foundation rock on! You are saving lives! It is a beautiful thing and I know that Nick is very proud of that remarkable accomplishment!
Craig Gordon Utah Avalanche Center Founder of KBYG Program ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Amazing people with an amazing mission! I am beyond proud to be a part of the Nickolay Dodov Foundation educators team! You two feel so many people with love and are helping the World to be a better place!
Duncan Lee Professional Backcountry Snowmobiler AIARE Avalanche Educator Sierra Avalanche Center Adviser
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I look forward to the NDF Slopestyle event all year. Not only do I get to send it, but the people participating and hosting the event are the best. There are great friends and great vibes on the mountain. I cannot wait for next years event and also to attend some of the great NDF Avalanche presentations and workshops!
Geo Alber 13 years old - 2x Winner NDF 12 and under
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